


Vehemence

by Rhinocio



Series: The Hot Pursuit of Sin [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Hot Pursuit AU, Multi, Nonbinary Ruby, Other, Polyamorous Rose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-12 03:32:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4463843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhinocio/pseuds/Rhinocio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laundry day is, in most places, wear-things-you-never-would-otherwise day, and Ruby has suffered this indignation firsthand. Twofold teasing, high school flashbacks, and a medical emergency mash together into this Hot Pursuit of sin, making for one busy, embarrassing paid vacation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vehemence

**Author's Note:**

> As per usual, I like writing Ruby with “they/them/themself” pronouns. As of _Keystone Motel_ we now know they canonically use “she/her/herself”, but at this point, it's become habit. Using such pronouns is my personal preference, a representation for all my non-binary siblings out there, and a way to make writing scenes with multiple women easier to understand. This is in no way meant to be maculinizing or otherwise alter your perception of the character. 
> 
> Lion's name came straight off of a Google search. Theoretically, it should translate as “glittering sword lion the jewel”, which is hilarious to me. It's probably wrong - if you speak Arabic, I'd love clarification.
> 
> This installment is way dirtier than _Concupiscence_ was, and I'm a little embarrassed about some of the words I used. It's also quite a bit longer and not quite as “point A to point B”, because I was having too much fun with the worldbuilding. Critiques are always appreciated (though I've noticed nobody ever comments on explicitly-rated fanfiction, though I know y'all are reading it, pffft)! As before, this is dedicated to [Jen](jen-iii.tumblr.com) and [Nope](sinpphire.tumblr.com), as well as [LJ](leonarajourney.tumblr.com), because you're all terrible sinners and keep encouraging me. Bless your queer hearts.
> 
> An edit as of August 31st: thank you to [CaveDwellers](http://theladyforester.tumblr.com/) for their fantastic review! There were a few things about this story I wasn't too happy with myself, and with your critiques in mind I've gone back and tweaked a few bits here and there. Hopefully _Vehemence_ makes a little more sense and sounds a touch less jolty now.

Ruby hated laundry day.

Sure, they didn't mind stuffing bundles of clothes in the washing machine and pressing a button – that didn't take any time. They weren't overly fond of folding, but that was tolerable when they could watch Sapphire pinning sheets out to dry, her long skirt and hair cascading like pastel banners in the wind. They rather liked the smell of the line-dried fabric, too, especially when they and their girlfriend launched at each other on the tiny balcony, the corners of a blanket in each hand, trying to wrap one another up like cloth burritos, and the sheets smacked them in the face. Laying back in the sun, their head pillowed on a stack of crisply pleated towels, Ruby played with one of their curls and sighed.

No, laundry day sucked because it was the only day they and Sapphire had together where neither of them were in uniform, and they always spent it in the same way. The two times a month Ruby's boss insisted they not come to calls unless there was a straight-up bonfire in a skyscraper; the four days where Sapphire claimed a little vacation pay and left her patrol car at work; the embarrassed admittance that they should really wash their clothes more often, because Sapphire was pretty sure the shirts at the bottom of the pile were starting to smell like potatoes – always the same way, month after month (though in winter they let the dryer do the work and went outside to shovel snow instead). Both women knew the commitment they'd gotten into with their respective careers - “justice and arsonists never sleep” and all that – but for once it would be nice to take a day to focus on each other instead of the law or the necessity of housework.

“What did you have in mind?” Sapphire asked, leaning against the railing and taking a deep inhale of a hand towel, fresh off the line. Ruby shrugged.

“We should just... go somewhere. Together. Outside the house. Like a date.”

“That wouldn't be _like_ a date, babe, that would _be_ a date.”

“Then go on a date with me.”

“What did you have in mind?” she repeated, swatting Ruby's arm with the towel, “One of us has to take the lead here, O Suggesting One.” They grunted, waving their hands as if their fingers were conjuring an idea from the air.

“I dunno, Sapph, what about the boardwalk? Go get some ice cream, take a walk, go swimming?”

“Well, our bathing suits are in the wash.” Sapphire smiled as her partner griped about the ridiculousness of soaking clothing that had spent all its time in water, then kissed their cheek. “So are all your shorts.”

“What? C'mon, Sapphire, seriously? Don't tell me – all my undies are being washed too.”

“No, but that's not a bad idea,” she grinned, giving Ruby a sly wink from under her bangs. “You could just wear what you've got on.” The frown the burlier woman gave her could have melted ice with its intensity, and they crossed their arms to illustrate their discomfort. Though Sapphire always complimented them on their appearance in dresses, Ruby had passionately avoided such clothing in public since they realized they weren't a necessity. Their mother had been very much a lady; they had never thought to question the clothes she had put them in until they saw a girl their age wear a green suit at one of their aunt's Tupperware parties instead of a skirt. If Dotty the Nerd could be given a button-up shirt and slacks and told she looked sweet, then Ruby should have the option too. Still, the odd uninformed relative, oblivious to their style of clothing in the variety of photos of them on social media, had sent them sundresses as gifts, and on the infrequent occasion Ruby themself had felt inclined for whatever reason to buy one, though they were never worn outside of the house, and even less frequently for events besides laundry day. Skirts were piled in the back of their closet, unattended until Sapphire got tired of her wardrobe's options or everything else was being cleaned. The “feminine” look just wasn't their thing. The idea of wearing this little red number to the boardwalk, however cute their girlfriend swore they looked in it, honestly made Ruby a little anxious.

Sapphire had a way of making everything seem like a good idea, though. Lean fingers brushed their neck and the cloudy gaze of her blind eye, peeking out under her hair, squinted with her smile. Her expression implored in the gentlest of ways, and something between her please and the warmth of the sun beating down on their skin convinced Ruby to take a chance. Sighing resignedly, they wrapped their fingers around their partner's and squeezed.

“Fine. Give me twenty minutes to make myself pretty,” they grumbled, and Sapphire bounced on her heels delightedly. Ruby pointed at her nose, stilling the movement. “You, me, the boardwalk, and a potential murder if anyone says a damn thing about my hairy legs in a skirt.”

“It's like a date,” she giggled.

To Ruby's relief, despite the clear sky and warm weather, the town was exceptionally quiet, likely because their laundry day had taken place during the week for once. The office buildings were probably crammed, but Beach City's shops were filled with not much more than their wares, and Ruby had noted only two families in the park. Though few potential witnesses were around to see, their outfit still made them antsy; the breeze cooled their nervous sweat whilst simultaneously teasing the edge of their dress, making their every other movement a flinch downwards. Sapphire had refused, her arms folded and leaning on the front door, to let Ruby leave the house with a pair of her running shorts over their underwear, much to their indignation. Her argument had involved something about not getting a farmer's tan and wanting to be able to fully appreciate their legs, as well as the shorts being a little bit too tight and riding up like nobody's business.

“I am not going to dinner with somebody who's picking their panties out of their ass every three seconds,” she had quipped, wrapping an arm around Ruby's ribs and snapping the waistband. The point was grudgingly taken. A few deep kisses against the door before they'd left had helped encourage her decision. Still, Ruby couldn't help feeling a little betrayed – the borrowed shoes with their little bows, a half-size too small, were pushing it, and they'd even tied up their hair, though makeup was out of the question – how many more aesthetic tortures would they have to suffer before their girlfriend was happy?

Sapphire cooed from beside them, and her soft fingers squeezed their behind before helping tug the offending fabric back into place. All things considered, she seemed pretty happy already. Her hand had hardly left Ruby's since they had left their apartment, her thumb habitually stroking theirs. Compliments had flowed like a river from her lips, splashing Ruby when their nerves became weathered and bringing them back to the moment. She had been laughing so freely Ruby half wondered if she'd snuck a cup of coffee before they'd left the house. Sure, this was a bit of a trial for the shorter woman, but at least Sapphire was enjoying their date.

Things became interesting when they realized she was _really_ enjoying it. After half a year of living together, dates had less followed the dinner-and-a-movie standard and more been, “Babe, please rescue me from this shit day at work. Bring McDonalds.” Ruby couldn't say they were especially disappointed, because the former had been methodical in a way neither of them were, and whether or not they had the spare change to get Sapphire a milkshake with her fries, the probability was high that her thighs would be wrapped around their head at midnight. But something about going out, officially, without a pager screaming for their attention or a looming deadline for arrival at the fire hall, paired with more leg exposure than Ruby had offered in years, had made Sapphire positively giddy. Halfway through a conversation with an old coworker from the pizza shop Ruby had once worked at, she had grabbed their jaw and kissed them, and taken a mortifyingly long time doing so. When they stopped for ice cream and sat side by side on a park bench to eat (Ruby reminding themselves feverishly that they couldn't sit with their legs apart), she had traced her nails up their thigh and licked her dessert in a way that could only be interpreted as sensual; long, heavy sweeps around the cone, mixed with glances from under her dark eyelashes and wet tracing of her tongue around her lips. As they kicked their way through the surf of the ocean, the sun beaming down and lighting the curves of Sapphire's legs on fire, she had casually hiked her own dress up her hips, giving Ruby the faintest peek at the lace of her underwear. She was flirting, and the action had left subtlety far behind.

Sapphire's parents had raised her with a conservative hand even Ruby's mother couldn't have mustered, and it had been painfully obvious when they'd first met. She was quiet, polite, and elegant in a way that really didn't befit a teenage girl. High school had somehow abstained from dragging her through the mud like every other bitter student; even on Sweatpant Fridays she came dressed well, her hair tied up and decorated with colourful clips. While Ruby was behind the building kicking trash cans over just because someone had told them not to, Sapphire followed the inane school rules to a T; she always arrived on time, put effort into her homework, and even refrained from polishing her nails, unlike most of the other girls – and a few guys – in her art class. When they found out she even went to church, and in outfits suited for the British upper class, at that, Ruby had scoffed. What a cardboard person.

Peridot's end-of-term house party, hosted only because she lived in a place big enough to contain a pool house and offered to Ruby only because she was inviting everyone else in their grade (she'd never gotten over the pond incident at that Tupperware party so long ago), admittedly perked their interest in the perfect princess known as Sapphire. More than anything, because she had shown up. Ruby had met (and made out with) their fair share of the same sex, and felt they had a pretty good read on the archetypes women tended to fall into. There were the Indie-Stoner type kids, like the party's most ungracious host, who had given up greeting her guests after the first three in order to hide downstairs with a bottle of absinthe and play overly-intricate board games; the Standard Party Flakes, of which most of Ruby's grade was constituted; the Chille People, whom everyone and their moms – especially their moms – got along with; and then the Royalty Class: gorgeous, stuffy, and either insufferable or boring to be around. Sapphire, they figured, fit into the last. They were surprised when they caught eye of her snatching up someone's neglected plastic cup and taking a swig of the contents, and baffled when she sat down amidst the group playing a mostly-drunk-and-steadily-getting-drunker round of King's Cup, and not only participated, but sat as far away from the Dudes Making Moves as she could. Ruby had shrugged it off, though – people had bad days. People ingested more alcohol than they could physically process. People went to Peridot's parties and disregarded her the next school day. Bad decisions were a fact of in-progress maturity.

It had been late – probably getting close to dawn – when Ruby had chosen to sit out at the dock alone, the fuzzy, nostalgic voice of a public safety video involving bad puppets and a television on wheels reminding them that alcoholic beverages and solo water sports didn't mix well. Disbelief had had them glaring up at the stars and cursing the universe when the Princess, of all potential people, stumbled her way down the lawn and parked herself next to them. She took a deep drink of something that smelled awful and tossed her cup in the water.

“Hi, I'm Sapphire,” her voice was like the twinkling stars above them, bright and thin but blinking as she hiccuped, and almost as soon as she righted herself, she'd pitched forward again, reaching blindly for the garbage on the waves, “Oh, I shouldn't have done that.”

“You're gonna fall in, you lunatic. Lean back.”

“Sorry. Y'know, I'm not even sure whose drink that was. I found it on the deck. I shouldn't have littered.”

“Didn't you ever get the 'Don't touch unattended alcohol' shpeal?” Ruby had scrubbed their headband against their forehead, trying to itch away the impending migraine both their liquid consumption and Sapphire was giving them. What kind of creature lived to young adulthood without being able to protect themselves in a party of their own kind? Don't leave your drink alone, don't encourage your motormouth, and don't get involved with someone you're going to regret. They had taken a sideways glance at the thin woman, who was trying ineffectively to cross her legs and brush her long hair behind her ear at the same time, and their eyes traveled. It was a curse, really. Ruby couldn't resist the aesthetic appeal of a female body in her weekend party best, no matter how straight or “in a relationship” their Facespace proclaimed them to be. Sapphire had long legs, smooth and dark, like some kind of moon-kissed milk chocolate. Her thighs pressed tightly against the fabric of her sparkly blue dress, in that insufferable way that made Ruby drool. The gentle folds of her stomach and breasts glittered as she breathed, and the silver bangles on her lithe wrists sang with her erratic movements. Her hair was much longer than they'd ever noticed, but that was probably because at school she always had it tied up; here it cascaded behind her like a waterfall, soft waves that had gotten tangled in her escape from the throng of bodies in the house. She was beautiful. Stupid, evidently, but lovely to look at. Definitely Royalty Class.

“Can I tell you a secret?” she had half-whispered, staring out at the horizon, her voice raw. Ruby put their head in their hands and sighed confirmation. Here we go, they had thought, rolling their eyes, you may begin the drunken confessions of I-loved-him-but-he-cheated in three, two, one:

“I'm gay as shit.”

Sapphire wasn't much help pulling Ruby back out of the lake; she was too drunk, and they were too shell-shocked to articulate their limbs. Alcohol and surprises were an apparently dangerous mix. At least, Ruby had snorted, as they assured the taller woman that yes, they were fine, just turned too fast and slipped, that's all, they had gotten her cup out of the water. Sapphire seemed positively delighted that she wouldn't have to confess her less-than-green deeds to the homeowner, whom Ruby was sure couldn't have cared less anyway. Her relieved laughter had quickly turned to panic, though, as the burlier of the two straightened themself up and stripped off their shirt to wring out the water. They could have sworn her vibrant blue eye had traced the curves of their abdomen before she spoke, her voice trembling; “You're not going to tell anyone, are you?”

“If there's one thing I'm actually really good at, it's keeping queer secrets, alright?” She had visibly relaxed as Ruby spoke, and this time she couldn't have been looking their body up and down more obviously. Her hand twitched, as if planning to reach. “You introduced yourself to the gayest person here. Congrats, gorgeous.”

Years of practice with the lesbian crowd should have prepared Ruby for the luscious mouth that slipped against theirs and the uncoordinated hand that tried to grip at their bare shoulder, because queer women and alcohol mingled like sharks and blood; the latter made the former insatiably hungry.

The same, apparently, could be said for Sapphire and restraints.

Certainly, they'd noticed her interest in them before. She had become putty against their iron grip many times, and she'd had the curious tendency to leave scarves nearby the bed when Ruby had been away for a while. Sapphire had even straight-up requested the treatment before, but Ruby hadn't realized how daring a tango she was willing to dance with the concept. It was between breathless necking in the back alley beside the arcade, snickering at the childishness of their actions, that she had unwrapped a very familiar red strip of cloth from her thigh. Ruby froze, their jaw working soundlessly as she slowly traced it up their chest, her grin large and feral. The working half of their brain swore at the indignation – firstly, that was theirs, and she had nagged them to put it away when they'd tried to wrap it around their hair before they left the house, and secondly, oh my _god_. They could never have pictured this scenario using the Sapphire from that high school party, no matter how interested in their muscles the fledgling gaybird had been or how desperately she'd tangled her limbs around theirs, tongue dancing in their mouth. To say she'd broken free of her oppressive upbringing would be an understatement, but not entirely correct; this was a woman had grown to love herself and consequently decided she was going to get what she wanted, no matter how risqué. It made Ruby a little weak, and a lot turned on. Sapphire looped the loose headband behind their neck and pulled on either end, tugging them into a kiss.

“Have I mentioned I love you, Ruby?” she murmured, brushing her nose against theirs in a tender contrast to the breath-stealing snogging she'd just performed. Tracing hands along the lacy panties at her hips, the shorter woman gasped out a laugh.

“Maybe a few times.”

“Have I mentioned how stunning you look in this?” Ruby grumbled embarrassedly as Sapphire ran her hands along their sides, then fiddled with the gauzy black bow at their chest. Their dress was red, it was short, and it provided alarmingly easy access, and that was all they'd considered. Whether it was flattering was a matter of personal opinion; they had avoided mirrors for that reason. Sapphire couldn't seem to conjure enough praise, though – she loved how well it matched their eyes, how it hugged their hips, how flirtatious the loose edge was, and how it pooled on her wrists when she slipped her fingers along their stomach and tangled her touch with the soft hair under their clothes. She adored how long it made their legs look, and how it brushed the hard curves of their deltoids at the sleeves with sheerness. She pattered her lips along their neck, giving the strip of fabric a rough tug and pushing her pelvis close. “You're beautiful.”

“Sure, babe,” they murmured, “Whatever you say. I don't see it.”

“Then let me show you,” Sapphire breathed, and the headband slid up the back of their skull, just behind their ears. She pulled the ends close, and her blue eyes gleamed at them from between the tunnel of her hands. Ruby's stomach flip-flopped in their gut as they realized what she intended, and they swallowed thickly. If only they'd listened to their own advice so long ago and avoided getting involved with this goddess – then again, it was the action they might regret, not the woman. They could never regret getting involved with her. In all honesty, excepting the incident with the firetruck and the handcuffs that they had had her promise not to bring up, Sapphire had never suggested anything they truly disliked (even then, it was only because of Amethyst that the aforementioned event went sour; the actual act had been more than pleasant). She had a way of making anything seem like a good idea. “May I?”

“I trust you,” Ruby affirmed, and with a solid, slow kiss, Sapphire tied their headband tight around their eyes.

For a few moments, they felt like a dog under a sheet, disoriented and unsure of how to react. Their hands stilled, poised to hold but not knowing what was available to grasp. Their closed eyelids fluttered, trying to blink away the sudden darkness. Sapphire was holding their cheeks, and as Ruby let go of their vision, their breath began to follow hers, and their other senses began to throw more potent information at them. They could feel the rough teeth of the brick wall on their back through their clothes, and every tiny pull where their curls caught on its jagged surface. They could smell the woman in front of them, a mix of vanilla and sweat and something that was just Sapphire. The heat of her body and the far-away humidity of the air wrapped them like a blanket, and suddenly they were hyper-aware of the dampness of their lips. Her thumb stroked their cheekbone.

“Ru?”

“I'm good,” they nodded, and they could almost hear her smile.

“You look good.” Their disbelieving snort turned into a strangled gasp as Sapphire's wet tongue took a slow trek along their neck, her fingers tracing the skin of their collarbone. She nipped at their ear, and Ruby twitched away, only for their head to turn into her other palm, ready and waiting to capture the unattended lobe. They reached for her, and Sapphire's hips twisted from their fingers. Their lips parted, expecting a kiss, but her nose traced along their chin instead, nudging it upwards so she could wrap her mouth around their throat. Ruby writhed at the sensation. Without being able to see where she was traveling, every touch felt random, and they could feel their anticipation growing along with their curiosity. 

Goosebumps prickled like a wave across their skin when fingertips notched under their skirt hem and traced the curve of their hipbone, moving back and forth like Sapphire was trying to transcribe their bones. A lean leg pushed between their knees, and with a victorious grin, Ruby grasped her waist and ate up the giggles that reverberated through it. They nipped at her lips as she pushed them away, and breathed with a smile, “Laughy Sapphy.”

“Quit it, Rutabega,” she sniggered, pinching their nose shut, “Or I'll tie up your hands too.”

“With what? Got another piece of my clothing hiding under your skirt?” Ruby leaned back against the brick wall, tucking their arms behind their head in a silent, confident taunt. Nervous glee tickled their gut at the exposure, knowing that at any second Sapphire's tiny fingers could arrive unannounced and claim their body. They kind of enjoyed the suspense, admittedly – the slow, creeping wind-up of a horror movie wasn't exactly their cup of tea, but the hesitant, blind wonder of hands driven by lust was an idea Ruby could get behind. The heat of their partner's leg shifted, and very suddenly dropped away. 

“I will soon,” her voice hummed, and the firefighter jumped as hands roughly grasped their knees and soft mouth brushed along the tender skin of their inner thigh. Their stomach fluttered as if someone had turned it to gelatin and given it a hard smack. If there was one thing about this woman that made Ruby horny, it was her lips – wide and full, they were delightful to kiss and drove them wild when wet, no matter whether it was gloss upon them or something of theirs. The idea of the latter made Ruby squirm, and hesitant fingers slid from behind their head to thread through her hair, too shy to ask but rather expecting. Sapphire kissed along the peach fuzz of their belly; they could feel her smile growing as her movements deliberately slowed and waited for them to speak. Ruby's face began to grow hot.

“Sapphire?” they murmured timidly into the darkness,“We're in public, you know that, right?” Her hands slid gradually along the back of their legs, nails pinching slightly as they traced along the lip of Ruby's underwear. She squeezed their behind and began sucking on a spot just below their navel. 

The blinded woman whimpered quietly as the nose that brushed their newly-bruised skin hummed her understanding. 

Sapphire had never been cruel. She was raised far too well, for one, and hadn't grown a mean bone in her body in her twenty-something years, despite the little tragedies that once or twice she had quietly confessed to them, buried deep in an ocean of blankets and face pressed into their chest. True, she had never gone looking for the battles that had left her scarred, but neither had she tried to hurt anyone in her own defense. The few times someone had bullied Sapphire for her ocular handicap, her quietness, or a tender, private kiss on the lips she had slipped them before boarding a bus were sweet in contrast to the shit Ruby had had to dealt with growing up. They had spent a lifetime asserting their worth. But pain was relative, and the wetness of her embarrassed tears on their neck had been more agonizing than all their past struggles combined. Sapphire didn't deserve hurt, because she didn't have the potential to dole it out.

Teasing was another story.

They had felt their knickers pulled farther down than was usual for their games, and had even, under Sapphire's breathy request, stepped clean out of them. Having them tuck their hands behind their back was a bit of a strange suggestion, too, but Ruby wasn't about to argue when there was a lovely woman knelt before them; Sapphire had quite the imagination with this sort of thing, and there was that saying about happy wives to consider. They had noticed, very vaguely, that her hands were making less skin contact than normal, but maybe she had an itch or something – there was only so much one could pay attention to when they were blinded, and the growing wetness between Ruby's legs was claiming top priority. Details could wait. 

It took a few moments before Ruby realized they'd been conned. A single lick, feather-light, along the gentle curves of their labia, enough to send shudders through their spine, and suddenly Sapphire's body heat disappeared like a ghost. A hand grabbed their chin out of nowhere, and startled the firefighter almost as much as the lips that captured theirs, forceful and brief. A quick tug loosened their blindfold, and much gentler kisses dotted their eyelashes between blinks. Ruby's eyes adjusted to the light just soon enough to see their panties folded prettily and tucked into the generous cup of Sapphire's bra. 

They gaped.

“C'mon, baby, we've got a boardwalk to walk,” the lean woman cooed, already a silhouette in the mouth of the alley, hips swinging flirtatiously and bounce in her step never more evident. Indignation tripped up the words that fought to shout to her, and Ruby whined, disbelief carrying the noise long and loud enough to echo. Their ears burnt ferociously, and the breeze ignored their blush to instead cool the saliva Sapphire's mouth had left along the most intimate parts of their body, as though her phantom were still making love to the skin. Shivers danced across the back of their neck. The wind tried to take their skirt for a ride. Ruby swore.

Their determined fingers had just slipped into Sapphire's palm, ready to hold for dear life and demand answers, when distressed shouting and a piercing shriek snatched up their attention; both women turned quickly towards the sound, and without a word to each other bolted towards the front of the arcade. Blinking lights and the whoops of pinball machines rattled Ruby's eardrums as they ran, and a mildly entertained section of their brain locked on how the high-energy bass of Meat Beat Mania's dance music was clashing fantastically with the shocked circle of bodies they had to push through. Years of training hit Ruby like ice water when they caught sight of the tiny child spasming on the ground, her long limbs kinked awkwardly and eyes rolled into her skull – they knelt, grasped the massive arm of the woman supporting her head, and quickly said, “My name is Ruby, this is Sapphire; we're emergency-trained first responders. What can we do to help?”

The calm smile that turned towards them was mildly startling; the sudden realization that the woman had hair like cotton candy made Ruby's thought processes momentarily flatline. They knew this person; the apartment building they had begun renting a few months prior only had so many tenants, and very few caught attention like the lady with the obnoxious pink curls. Ruby grasped, but realized they knew very little about Mrs Universe besides the fact that she'd recently had a baby. A surprisingly quiet baby. She was also extremely tall and big enough to probably bench-press Ruby four times over. Staring at her face in deep concentration, their touch on her arm suddenly seemed impious – the woman was almost ethereally beautiful. She spoke, and something inside of them went unprofessionally weak.

“Rose,” she introduced, “And if you could help that poor man with his 911 call, that would be fantastic. He's been repeating himself for the past two minutes and hasn't relayed a word I've said.” 

“Who is she?” Ruby asked, collecting themself and gesturing to the child, whose cinnamon-coloured skin looked as those it too were contracting, and almost too tight for her bones. Her thick eyelashes quivered, and mouth twitched. Sapphire gestured towards them, a black cellphone held to her ear and frantic civilian behind her ignored, and Rose spoke loudly enough that they both could hear. 

“One of the other children told me her name is Lapis. Ten to twelve years old. Came to the arcade alone. No known history of epilepsy, but this seizure has been going for far longer than I'm comfortable with. Ambulance is on the way, correct?” Sapphire nodded again. “As far as we know this is the first time this has happened, and I'd rather she have supervision for the way home in case of relapse.” As if on cue, the blinding red and blue lights of an emergency vehicle strobed across the crowd, silent except for a few loud get-out-of-the-way honks that made stunned bystanders jump. Awkwardly the throng parted, and as the front door of the truck swung open, the child stilled, as if brought back to life by its gentle beeps. Lapis opened her eyes, and Ruby grinned at their bright blue.

“Hey, kiddo,” they said, waving, and her startled gaze turned to them as Rose stroked their hair, “How y'feelin'? You just had a seizure, probably because of the bright lights in the arcade. Has that happened to you before?” Lapis frowned and stuck out her tongue, blowing a loud raspberry at the sky, then nodded resignedly. “We're gonna send you home in the ambulance in case it happens again. Sound cool?”

“They're gonna have to turn off the lights, then,” she rasped, eyes still determinedly turned away, and Ruby shouted at the driver to kill the switch. The owner of the arcade seemed to get the memo offhandedly; several of the brightest machines quit their singing and dimmed as well. Lapis sighed.

“Done. You okay with traveling with, uh...” they looked up at the newest arrival, decked in crisp white shirt and dark slacks, and scrunched their nose when they noted the colour scheme of his long ponytail and the fuzz across his chin. Was there some vibrant underground cosmetology cult in this city Ruby didn't know about? Rose turned from her conversation with the paramedic and sniggered.

“Abreeq Asad al Jawhar. My twin. We call him Lion,” she told Lapis, and as the girl's sour face lit up with delight, Sapphire snorted, “Because he won't cut his hair and his jaw unhinges when he yawns.”

As it was with so many medical calls, the arcade became desolate and clean as quickly as it had been doused in havoc. Lapis rode back to her parents in the front seat of the ambulance, gleefully slamming the sirens. Children returned to their games, bystanders continued eating their fries, the seagulls returned and pecked around the wooden slats of the boardwalk, looking for crumbs, and Ruby realized they hadn't been wearing any pants during the whole event and had probably given a few locals a show. Embarrassed, they clapped a hand over their face – the one time they decided to switch up the norm on laundry day, things got weird. Of course. But everyone was okay, the weather was still nice, and they had finally found a reason to talk to the Universe family.

“Oh, you're the couple who's always having hot sex below us!”

Ruby very quickly wished that reason had kicked its own ass off the nearest pier and sunk deep into an abyss of the ocean, never to rise again. A blush burnt across their neck and ears with so much heat the summer sun became jealous. The world went so abruptly silent in their ears that a far off part of them decided the arcade games had committed a collective electric suicide. Both they and Sapphire gaped, words made of question marks bursting to life in their throats, only to fall like stunned lemmings over the edge of knotted tongues. Rose took up the leaner woman's hands, her smile bright and unabashed.

“Yes, I recognize your names! I've heard them shouted quite a few times, after all, especially yours,” and she winked at Ruby, “A pleasure to finally meet you. You have a lovely voice – do you sing?”

“I, oh, umm,” Sapphire fumbled, brushing her bangs down feverishly, “Yes, sometimes. As a hobby. I used to perform in coffee shops. A- a pleasure to meet you, too. I like your hair.”

“Yours is lovely as well! Are your waves natural? We ought to sing together sometime – my husband Greg is an amazing artist. He's composed music to accompany lyrics I've made up before, and just, how did you put it, dear? On the fly!” Behind the fluttering edges of her gauzy white shirt, a man waved, looking mildly embarrassed, his long dark hair and black shirt contrasting so blatantly with his wife's that he almost disappeared behind her aura. He and Ruby locked eyes, and he shrugged apologetically before gazing away; his large arm gave the pink baby carrier at his side a gentle swing. For a second, the burly woman was distracted, squinting past Rose's wide hips at the tiny head of brown curls squirming in the basket, but was jostled back to attention and sent into a fit of coughing as she whispered excitedly, “You'll have to tell me what it is your wife is doing that feels that good, honestly, I'm dying to know!”

“Thick air,” Ruby wheezed as both women turned to look at them, burying their red cheeks in the crook of their arm. They swallowed the dense discomfiture that had choked them and, adjusting their skirt, marched behind Rose's sea of pink locks towards her child. Greg smiled as they knelt before the carrier, scrunching their nose at its contents.

“Hey, baby,” they greeted, tilting their head as the infant did, and its chubby face broke into a delighted grin at their mimicry, fat arms flailing its clumsy fists, “Must be nice not understanding words yet. I'm Ruby. Who're you?”

“Steven,” the man above them supplied, and they nodded, reaching a finger towards the small creature's tiny forehead. Minuscule fingers batted at their palm and gripped in slow motion; Ruby cheered softly as the baby found a handhold on their digit. Bubbles of spit tumbled down his round chin, making his toothless smile glimmer. Large chocolate-coloured eyes batted their long eyelashes at her, and perfect spirals of hair bounced as a squeal burst from his lungs. He was cute, in that slimy, mildly off-putting way that babies were, Ruby decided, jouncing their arm as Steven's pudgy feet joined his hands, gripping them like a sloth on a branch. He giggled, and they stuck a tongue out, amused. He was also more than a bit distracting.

“He likes you,” Rose's deep voice murmured, and Ruby became suddenly very aware of everyone staring at them. Steven chewed on their finger and turned towards the sound of his mother's voice, humming dreamily. They pulled on their dress hem. “You ought to come visit sometime; we're only a few floors up. As much as my little gem loves his father, I'm sure he'd like to see new faces. Oh, it'd be wonderful if you came for dinner sometime! I'm not much of a cook, but my girlfriend-- speak of the angel! Pearl!”

Ruby shook their head, mildly startled. Greg smiled. Steven went positively berserk, squealing and grabbing at the air, his head turned towards Rose's waving arms, lips blubbering something like the letter P. Sapphire, oddly enough, had gone stock still. 

She was the first to speak, however, when their new arrival, a tall, willowy woman with soft auburn hair, pale skin, and a blob of unattended sunscreen on her protruding nose walked delicately into their midst. Sapphire slapped a hand over her mouth, and a giddy grin shuddered across her face. Her free hand pointed, vibrating with concealed laughter. Rose's girlfriend froze, did a double-take of Sapphire, and covered her own lips.

“I knew it!” the policewoman squeaked, her voice dissolving into disbelieving chortles, and Pearl's face flushed, her eyes glancing alarmedly from Rose to Sapphire and back again. The latter swallowed her mirth quickly when the fair woman's hands began to shake, and reached for her arms with a gentle expression. She gestured. “It's nice to see you again. Pearl, this is my Ruby.”

Realization dawned like the soft colours of sunrise over the woman's face, and she tucked her short hair behind her ear, giving Sapphire's arm a squeeze and beaming shyly. 

“That's my Rose,” she nodded, and as if the final words of an extended play had been spoken, a curtain of understanding fell. Their partners shrugged at each other, bemused smiles across their lips. Steven farted.

The sun had begun to set over the ocean when finally the group parted, laughter and promises for future meals tumbling through their atmosphere like a lyrical chorus to the fading heat of the day. Rose's family had a small charity banquet to attend, organized by her proudly blushing girlfriend, and Ruby was determined to see out the full extent of their boardwalk stroll, being as they'd had to dress up for the occasion. Sapphire's hand was warm in theirs as she explained the boarding school seating arrangement and locker room escapades that had seen her and Pearl introduced, and Ruby's gut fluttered with reserved delight at the prospect of babysitting Rose's toddler, whom, after much encouraging, they had held and had fall asleep nuzzled against their neck. They had almost completely forgotten the torture Sapphire had boldly inflicted on them hours before until they caught sight of the soft fabric of their underwear sticking out of her top. Vexation argued with bashfulness within them, and they ran frustrated fingers through their hair.

“I guess keeping the windows shut at night doesn't really stop our noise, does it?” Sapphire said softly, her thumb tracing a slow path along theirs, and Ruby froze, blood taking another express trip to the skin of their cheeks. The leaner woman's hair fluttered across her shoulders, her gaze far away. Her pace slowed until they both stood still, and Ruby gave her palm a prompting squeeze. “They could hear everything.”

“Yeah... maybe we should invest in some noise-canceling ceiling padding.”

Thin fingers traced their jaw, and Sapphire moved close, peering up at them. Their hands tangled intricately, pressed between the heat of their bodies, and a lazy breeze lifted her bangs, the fading twilight lighting her irises a deep, wanting gold. Her eyes traced their lips, and carefully she pulled their mouths together, her tongue whispering between them. 

“Sundrop,” she murmured, “I like that they can hear us.”

Ruby took a deep breath, raising their eyes towards the orange and ochre clouds, and the sky beamed comfortably back at them, unyielding in its restraint of explanation as to why their partner had to be so daring. The wrapped their arms around her, leaning back against the dock rail, and Sapphire kissed their sternum. It was in moments like this, when the world was quiet and they were alone with this little goddess, that Ruby questioned the intentions of the universe. Did they deserve the constant emotional distress and endless joy she brought them? Could they not have been designated a wave of frivolous queer partners, hair dyed and lips pierced, instead of this sea of beauty and femininity that demanded their full adoration? What on earth had made her choose their battered skin to taste and not the flawless form of another? 

What, they inquired finally, made them take on her dares without remorse?

They kissed her until their tongue began to go numb, the boundaries of their mouth slick and smudged with her soft coral makeup. Their hands smoothed across the silky fabric of her dress, teasing it in directions that implied purpose but never delivered. They hooked a finger along the lace of her pastel panties, and traced the elastic as though it were more inviting than her skin. Sapphire gripped subtly at their breast, and the softest of whimpers slipped across the swollen curves of her lips. Only then did Ruby bend close to her ear, letting their voice wash over the flesh as if it were a flame they could ignite with words, and sigh, “You like that they know when I touch you?”

She melted. Sapphire's head craned away, offering the sacrifice of her neck, and her hands wrapped themselves with fragile dedication into the fabric of their shirt. She leaned ever closer, and Ruby propped a foot on the balcony to allow her the space. The brushed knuckles across her pelvis.

“You're so loud when I take you, Sapphire,” they whispered, kissing the shallow concavity where her jaw and ear met, “Do you want everyone to hear how badly you want me?”

They felt the dark skin under their lips turn hot, and Ruby paused, tilting their head so they could see their girlfriend's expression. Sapphire was staring into the crook of their shoulder, her mouth agape, eyes glazed and unseeing. She shivered.

“Sapphire?” they said, flexing their grip on her waist, “Is this okay?”

“Oh god, _yes_.”

“And this?” gingerly they slid their hands along the satin cloth between her legs, and with a shuddering gasp, she bit their shirt. The tiny breath of a moan pushed through the fabric, and she nodded, her hands wrapping tightly around their neck. A giddy thrill ran down Ruby's spine, and they retracted their touch to push her chin upwards and capture her lips once again. Between breathless snogging they assessed the surroundings, a diabolical plan gaining momentum in the back of their mind – the boardwalk was clear, save for the tired gait of an old woman by the closed snack shops. There were no houses nearby, only businesses, and it was late enough that they had been shut down for the night. The beach was too cool at this hour, and its patrons had gone home. Their only witnesses would be the seagulls, quiet, for a change, on their perches. But Sapphire didn't have to know that. 

“Be subtle, love,” Ruby grinned against her hair, their hand curling gently over the arch that lead to her most intimate space, “Or all the people walking by are going to see what we're doing.”

They could almost feel the shudder that ran up the thin woman's spine, and rewarded it with a slow stroke across the barrier of her underwear, their pressure feather-light. Firm kisses against her tangled hair contrasted the motion, and Ruby held her hips tightly, their grip promising no release. There had been many nights they had held her down, or when she had asked them breathlessly to use her, or when they had become so overwhelmed by her talented hands that they'd bitten her and she'd forced back the apologies with her own teeth – it wasn't an immense surprise to Ruby any longer that Sapphire liked an alternation of control within their sex life. This complete surrender, though, where her forehead pillowed against their collarbone, nervous breath making the skin damp, fully encased in the belief that her desire was on display... this was new. She hugged the collar of her dress, pulling it as far downward as she could, and with her free hand tugging at the curls on Ruby's neck, begged them to envelope her.

“Please, Ru,” she whimpered, kissing their shoulder between each shaky inhale. It didn't take much to wind Sapphire up, but that didn't mean they had to work fast; honestly, they were enjoying this new discovery too much to rush. Smirking, Ruby dragged their fingers across her, as gently and patiently as the waves behind them snuck up the shoreline, and forgot rhythm for exploration. The sunset seemed to drag on for eternity as they detailed every curve of her, digging blunt nails into her hip when she tried to push closer to hurry the movement. Ruby licked the tip of her ear as the wind cleared it from her hair, and took a deep inhale of her persistent, cupcake-like smell, spiked with the familiar pungency of lust. She was so good at following instructions, they thought, their own face burning as they were swept into the filth of the scenario, and gently they kissed the long lashes of her blind eye, feeling luckier than ever they had deserved. Their games were pure delight, but the adoration that burned deep inside of their gut and made them want to cry at her vulnerable expression, pressed into their neck, was bliss.

It was fortunate for her, this woman whose bra had let slip the sliver of cloth that should have been on their hips, that Ruby wasn't an underwear thief, and instead just double the tease. Sapphire looked like she were being tortured, her hands spasming against their shirt, her teeth worrying her lips and nose scrunched up in a weak attempt to suppress her voice, and between trembling, quiet noises asked them over and over to touch her. Carefully Ruby prodded her face in their direction, and as their lips met, pearly softness against cracked neglect, they pulled her panties sideways and slid a full palm along her cunt.

Sapphire moaned their name against their lips, and her eyes gleamed up at them, glossy and half-lidded. Surprise fluttered behind them, blotted out by desire. She pressed harder into the kiss, as if she could instigate movement with the pressure. Ruby nipped at her lip.

“You're so wet, Sapphire,” they praised, taking full, drawn-out sweeps of her want, delighting in the way she twitched, her head lolling just enough to make the pleasure identifiable; each time she fell forwards, they snatched up her mouth again, and began to make their tongue at home. She still tasted like vanilla ice cream. “Did you want me to make you mine?”

“Ru-u-by,” she whined, voice cracking, and they traced a single finger around her clitoris just to watch her squirm. Her trembling fingers brushed along their chin, weakly pawing for another kiss. The burlier woman instead slipped their tongue along the digit, wrapping it deep in the heat of their mouth, and Sapphire's eyes followed the movement, entranced. She licked her swollen lips.

“You didn't answer me,” they murmured huskily, sliding their tongue free between her fingers and leaning so close their breath mingled, staring her straight in the eye, “Sapphire, I'm going to fuck you.”

She had to bury her mouth against their neck, fingers knotted desperately in their curls, as Ruby slipped a finger inside of her. Their pace remained excruciatingly slow, even when a second joined the action, and the lean woman writhed, her hips arcing towards them, begging for an increase in speed. Her entire body was tense, her strangled voice whimpering for more. The fluids of her want spread across their palm, dripping in tiny rivulets across their wrist, hot and thick, but still Ruby was patient, though desire had taken an iron grip on their throat and threatened to slay them on the spot if they didn't ravage Sapphire until she screamed, public indecency be damned. 

“H-harder, Ruby, ple-ease, j-ust wreck me a-already!” she hissed, her eyes scrunched shut. They kissed her forehead, damp with sweat, then her cheeks, across the bridge of her round nose, and either side of her lips as gently as they could manage, and grinned at her frustrated groan. Their fingers pulled almost completely out of her, then slid back in, ever slower, but Ruby pushed deep, swirling the tips as if they were trying to further agitate her from the inside. Again and again they teased her, sliding free and then crushing their fingers as far as they could, their hand soaked with her arousal. Sapphire moaned quietly, her neck craning, her legs moving ever farther to allow them the space to touch, and Ruby pushed a third unannounced finger along with its sisters, delighting in the heat of her body around them. Their partner mewled, and her mouth reached desperately for theirs. 

“Careful of the wind, baby,” they growled, their grin feral, “Or everybody's gonna see how deep I am inside of you.” 

Their thumb and pinky, feeling left out, reached and spread Sapphire's labia wide, exposing her fully to the hand that claimed her, twisting and curling with agonizing slowness in and out of her. Her pelvis humped towards them, the muscles of her legs taught and twitching. She panted against their jaw, whimpering their name, and they pressed their hand so hard against her her body lifted an incremental amount. Nails scraped along their spine. Carefully Ruby untangled the digits that had been claiming her and pulled towards themself, tracing the sensitive nerves that hid inside their lover, and Sapphire cried out. They stroked her. Teeth found an earlobe to bite, and in her trembling, one of Sapphire's legs brushed against Ruby's own desire, making them moan into her neck. Slickness and burning want enthralled Ruby's fingers as they brought their partner to a climax, clenching upon their hand like a desperate plea. Sapphire thrashed against their neck, her usual loud cries stifled into rapid panting, and shivers lit her limbs like waves. Ruby paused, and waited, and kissed her hair softly, and when she finally seemed to be coming down, they traced her again.

Six times she orgasmed, one exhausted spiral upon another, Ruby's hand pulling tenderly inside of her and coated in the heat of her cum. When they pulled free, their movement bubbling new wetness from her, they gave her neglected clitoris a gentle, circular touch, and she came again. Finally, when her voice had dried into a wheeze and her body so tired it stumbled, their abusive hand abandoned her, and instead cupped the trembling muscles of her thigh. Ruby held her tightly, their embrace stiflingly warm and radiating glee. Her fingers twitched against their chest, and heavy eyelids pressed against their collarbone; she hummed quietly, and silently mouthed her love.

“Ruby,” came her voice after many lost minutes, weak and breathy, and the sky began to fade into the pastel blue-green of evening, “When we get home, I'm pounding your sweet ass into the mattress until you scream.” Mirth mixed with anticipation choked them, and Ruby snorted.

“Babe,” they laughed, clutching her close, “Our sheets are all in the wash.”

(The only thing wrong with laundry day, Ruby decided, stumbling weak-legged and bruised into the kitchen for a drink, their bleary eyes noting the red blink of a cell phone with missed alerts, was that it didn't happen more often. That, and some part of the universe always had it out for them. Mortified, they read and quickly deleted the messages, then downed their cup of water with the vigor of a burning man. There had been two texts on their home phone that night, and Sapphire didn't need to see either.

_[12:48 AM] fr Rose Universe: sounds like u 2 are having fun!!! sapphire, would love to meet up for tea this saturday, need 2 no what it your doing thats that good!!!! I want 2 try!!! <3 <3 steven misses u already, ruby!! _

_[8:14 PM] fr Amethyst: saw u from the beach. you guys are kinky af, next time im brigning popcorn xoxo_ )


End file.
